


Mercy

by Avistella



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, POV Second Person, Reader is Not Avatar/MU, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 01:19:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12900897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: You've become a Risen, and Inigo hesitates to cut you down.





	Mercy

Owain’s feet scuffles against the dirt as he raises his sword and blocks an attack from the enemy before him, the sharp clang of metal hitting metal ringing in the air. The young man grunts underneath his breath from the force of the impact, a wry smile twisted on his lips as he recalls not too distant memories of fighting alongside a certain friend. A friend he had lost not too long ago. The same friend that now stands in front of him, your weapon pointed towards your ally of a time when you still drew breath and held free will.

A bead of sweat trails down Owain’s forehead, and he can’t tell if it’s because of the tough fight you’re putting up or if it’s from nerves. It pains him to have to raise his sword against someone he once laughed and smiled with, but more than that, it pains him to think of what might happen should you and Inigo cross paths with the way you are now.

As rambunctious and eccentric as Owain was, he was no simpleminded fool. He did not miss Inigo’s longing glances towards you when he thought no one was looking. He did not miss the way Inigo’s figure seemed to relax whenever you were around, breathing out sighs of relief. He did not miss Inigo’s curvature of lips whenever you even so much as looked his way or the slight blush that would form on his cheeks whenever you smiled back.

Owain knew just how important you were to Inigo, and your death had a massive effect on the mercenary. Owain can still remember the way his friend desperately clutched onto his arms for support when the weight of your death brought him down to his knees as he screamed his heart out, the tears flowing endlessly from both of their tightly clenched eyes for the loss of a friend. The loss of a loved one Inigo never had the chance of confessing. The young man can still remember the nights he would be left awake, listening to choked sobs and whispered words of regrets.

People grieve at different times, and your death was still fresh in everyone’s minds, especially Inigo’s. If the mercenary were to see you now, a mere broken and lost shadow of the person you used to be, Owain wasn’t sure how his companion might react. That is why Owain knew. He knew that he would need to finish you off before Inigo could be reunited with you in this state. _No, this wasn’t the reunion Inigo is looking for._

Distracted by his thoughts, you manage to gain the upper hand, slicing your sword through the air and knocking Owain’s weapon away from his grip. You bring your sword down, your body jerking suddenly for one brief and confusing moment before cutting through the young man’s flesh. Owain falls to the ground, the wound severe but not enough to kill him. Somehow, he believes that a part of you is still in there somewhere, but he can’t dwell on the thought any longer before he passes out from the pain and loss of blood.

You lift your sword up into the air, preparing to deal the final blow, but your movements seem slow—hesitant, even. Just as you’re about to stab through the fallen young man’s heart, a new enemy joins the fray.

“ _Not today!_ ” A voice growls before a strip of steel enters your line of sight, knocking you back and away from Owain.

Inigo takes a brief moment to have his eyes scan over his fallen friend, relief washing over him when he realizes that he’s still breathing. That relief then becomes anger towards the cause for his companion’s injuries, and the mercenary tightens his hold on his sword as he snaps his head back towards his enemy, prepared to strike. But suddenly, he stops—

The young man can recognize that face from anywhere, and he trembles. The grip on his weapon loosens in shock and confusion, and Inigo doesn’t know what to do. You stand there in front of him, your own sword poised and ready as you stare back at the mercenary, your eyes completely lifeless. Inigo’s breathing becomes shallow and frantic, his body desperately shaking as he tries to steel himself.

_He has no choice_. He has to cut you down. He has to—

“Gods, why…?” Inigo chokes on his words, his eyes stinging with tears that he was surprised to find. He had thought that he cried all of his tears dry already, so why now?

If Inigo is to win this, then he needs to make the first move, but he can’t bring himself to so much as even take a single step in your direction the same time his sword is pointed in your direction. _Didn’t he vow to protect you with that sword?_ The mercenary gasps when you suddenly lunge towards him with the intent to kill, and he quickly raises his weapon to defend himself. The collision of metal makes an unpleasant sound that rings in his ears, and with you so close like this, Inigo can get a better look at your features.

An ugly sob falls from his lips as he puts more force onto his sword and jumps back to gain some distance. You lessen the gap far too qickly, barely giving Inigo any time to recover and collect himself. The two of you repeat this one-sided dance of swords for a few moments, and fatigue easily starts to catch up with the mercenary. As skilled as he may be, he still has his limits, both in physique and mental stability.

“ _P…le…as…e…_ ” For some reason, your reanimated body starts to speak, and it throws Inigo off.

“What?” He’s seen this before where Risen still maintained some of their humanity, but in the end, the only way to save them was to bring them a swift death once more. If… If you’re the same as them, then Inigo doesn’t think he can handle it. As much as it hurt him to have to fight you and possibly cut you down, nothing can be more unbearable than seeing you in agony.

“ _Pl…ease…_ ” you repeat, stringing your letters better than before, making it easier for the young man to understand. “ _Ki…ll… m…e…_ ”

Inigo’s heart breaks at your request, and he murmurs your name. It’s been so long since he last spoke your name, afraid of the painful memories it might dredge up, and yet it still sounds so sweet and bitter on his lips.

“ _Don’t… wa…nt… … kill… any…more…_ ”

With a shaky breath, Inigo mutters, “I understand.” His heart is thudding furiously against his ribcage, feeling like it’s about to burst. “I understand, my love. I’ll put you out of your suffering.”

“…” You stare at the young man trembling before you as he resolves himself, taking deep breaths. You don’t bother moving from your spot—or rather, you fight back against the instinct to move so that the mercenary can deliver a quick and painless death, for both his sake and yours. Inigo charges towards you, sword raised, and just before he plunges his sword straight to your heart, his eyes widen when he sees a ghost of a smile on your features. “ _Thank you, Inigo._ ”

………

……

…

Once your Risen body disappears, Inigo stands there in the silence with hunched shoulders. He ends up dropping his sword to the ground from his slackened grip as he bows his head low and stares at nothing, unmoving. There’s a tremendous ache in his heart before it starts to eventually dull away. It’s so painful, but if the young man were to survive this godsforsaken planet world, then he needs to bury away these hindering emotions that stop him from fighting and move on.

An air of apathy surrounds the mercenary as he picks up his sword once more and prepares to head back towards Owain and help with his injuries. His footsteps are slow and heavy, and Inigo vaguely wonders to himself if there’ll ever come a day he’ll be desensitized to this sort of thing. The thought was terrifying yet also pitifully sad at the same time.

**Author's Note:**

> Mm, I'm not all that proud of how this turned out, but I think it's good enough to be posted. Inspired by one of Inigo's lines in one of the DLCs (can't remember which one specifically) about how cutting down Risen-friends and neighbours was a regular thing and how he barely feels anything anymore, and it hurt me--


End file.
